This invention relates to coding and decoding three-dimensional (3D) data, such as quaternions.
A 3D model includes a virtual skeleton, comprised of bones arranged in a hierarchical tree structure. Surrounding the bones are polygons, such as triangles, which represent the skin of the 3D model. Movement of the polygons is tied to the movement of the bones so that the 3D model approximates real-life movement during animation. To achieve this type of realism, a large amount of data is required to define the animation of the 3D model. Transporting such data over limited-bandwidth media, such as computer networks, can be problematic. Coding techniques have therefore been developed for reducing the amount of 3D data to be transported.